Picker stick guide



- Feb. 7, 1950 E. H. ASHTON 2,496,368

' PICKER STICK GUIDE Filed na 16; 1946 FIG.2

INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 7, 1950 rrcxsn s'ncx GUIDE Everett H. Ashton, Jersey City, N. J assignor to The M. W. Kellogg Company, Jersey City, N. 1., a corporation of Delaware Application May 16, 1946, Serial No. 670.241

2 Claims. (Cl. 139-146) The present invention relates generally to picking mechanism for weaving looms and, as illustrated herein, relates more particularly to improved means for guiding the picker stick during picking of the shuttle out of the shuttle box.

One of the most common causes of stoppage of modern high speed looms is the result of erratic movement of the loom shuttle in its flight from one shuttle box to the other. The shuttle may move in a sinuous path in either a substantially vertical or horizontal plane and undue wear on the warp threads results and consequent breakage of these warp threads causes the loom to stop. Erratic flight of the shuttle may cause improper boxing of the shuttle with consequent stopping of the loom. In some cases the flight of the shuttle may be so erratic that the shuttle will be thrown out through the upper shed of the warp, breaking a large number of warp threads and endangering loom operators.

In low speed looms, the shuttle travels at a relatively low speed and deviations in the flight of the shuttle are controlled by the upper shed of the warp and by the shuttle race. If the picker on the picker stick is improperly located relative to the shuttle tip, the shuttle will lope" across the loom; that is to say, the shuttle follows a sinuous path in a vertical plane. The upward movement of the shuttle is limited and deflected downwardly by the upper shed of the warp and its downward movement is similarly limited and deflected upwardly by the shuttle race. Erratic flight of the shuttle in a generally vertical plane may be eliminated almost entirely by proper vertical adjustment of the picker on the upper end of the picker stick and does not present any great problem in low speed looms or in high speed looms.

In looms which operate in excess of 180 picks per minute, this erratic flight of the shuttle often causes severe damage by breaking the warp with consequent danger of injury to the weaver. Even if the shuttle does not actually fly out of the loom, the repeated contact of the shuttle with the warp causes excessive and unnecessary wear thereon which will ultimately cause breakage of the warp threads. .As stated above, erratic flight of the shuttle in a substantially vertical plane is elimi- It is more diflicult to control the When the shuttle is boxed. the tip of the 5 shuttle engages the picker-on the picker stick and moves it to initial picking position. If the picker is properly positioned in line with the line of flight of the shuttle, the picker will be properly positioned with respect to the tip o f the shuttle. Since the picker stick is free in the slot in lay, and thus can move forwardly and rearwardly of the slot, the picker thereon is often located out of line and, as a result, the entering end of the shuttle may be displaced forwardly or rearwardly. On the next pick the shuttle will not be picked properly out of the shuttle box and will be picked along a line which is at an angle to its intended and proper line of flight. If the picker is located rearwardly of its proper position, the shuttle will be picked out of the box toward the fell of the warp. In high speed looms, this oftentimes results in driving the shuttle through the upper shed of the warp with consequent warp breakage and danger of injury to the operator. In any event, excessive wear on the warp and the reed of the loom results since the shuttle will ricochet back and forth between the fell and the reed which, in addition, also results in improper boxing of the shuttle in the opposite shuttle box.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means for guiding or controlling the direction of movement of the picker stick by means of which the above dimculties will be overcome. To this end. means are provided which will guide the picker stick for movement in a path coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the shuttle and the path of movement of the shuttle from one box to the other.

Other objects of the invention are to improve generally upon the construction and operation of looms.

With the above and other objects and features in view. the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and in which;

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of one end of a loom in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the upper end of a picker stick;

Fig. 3 is a view in section (on an enlarged scale) taken along the line IIIIII of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly broken away, and

of a portion of a shuttle box.

The drawings show an embodiment of my invention applied to a filling replenishing loom of well known construction, although it is to be unamazes the loom in synchronism with the lay 8.

The picker stick is actuated longitudinally of the lay by a lug strap 9 attached to a suitable driving mechanism, not shown.

A picker i is attached to the upper end of the picker stick in a position to contact one end of the shuttle l to drive the shuttle across the lay.

It is usual practice to form a cup II in the face ll! of the picker to receive the end of the shuttle in close cooperation when the shuttle enters the shuttle box. The shuttle enters the box with some force and the end of it seats itself forcibly in the cup II. If the picker is properly adjusted, the center of the cup II will be in line with the longitudinal center of the shuttle, and, on contact, the shuttle will maintain a position parallel with the lay and seated thereon throughout its length. when it is picked from the box the shuttle will make a smooth flight through the shed and seat itself properly a 30 II in the picker is in the proper position to in the box on the opposite end of the lay.

The lay 8 is provided with a slot ll (Fig. 3 and 4) in which the picker stick 5 reciprocates. The slot II is located approximately centrally between the front box plate l5 and .the back box plate II. The back box plate I! is provided with an extension I! and a back binder it having a friction surface thereon which is arranged to engage and check the shuttle I! as it enters the shuttle box. The parts so far described are of usual construction and hence need not be described in further detail herein.

The picker stick 5 is. as shown in Fig. 3 substantially narrower than the transverse dimension of the slot H to insure freedom of movement of the picker stick, particularly during boxing the shuttle. The lay 8, together with the picker stick and the above described picking mechanism, 'reciprocates forwardly and rearwardly during operation of the loom. Since the picker stick 5 is substantially narrower than the slot ll, it is apparent that the inertia of the picker stick 5 is sufllcient to cause it to engage the forward and rearward walls of the slot i4 during reciprocation and. hence the picker stick 5, with the picker ll thereon, is not at all times maintained in a position which is central of the opening between the front box l5 and the friction facing on the forward face of the pivoted binder I8.

During normal operation of the loom, the shuttle l is picked out of the shuttle box as the lay moves rearwardly toward back center and the shuttle is boxed in the opposite shuttle box during forward movement of the lay. Thus, the shuttle is received in the shuttle box at a time when the picker 5 is in its rearmost position relatively to the slot i 1. Thus, the tip 20 of the incoming shuttle will engage the conical hole ll in'the picker stick which, in some cases, will cause the tip 20 of the shuttle to be cammed rearwardly, causing the other end of the shuttle to be moved slightly forward. Thus, when the shuttle is picked out of the box, the shuttle, instead of being projected across the loom in a path parallel to the front wall of the back box plate I, is

(ill

of the cloth. In high speed looms, such a condi tion causes excessive wear and tear on the warp and the reed of the loom and, as hereinbefore pointed out, would in some cases result in driv- 5 ing the shuttle through the upper shed of the warp with consequent warp breakage.

The present invention provides means which prevent improper location of the picker when the shuttle is received in the shuttle box. A guide member 2|, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is seemed by lag screws 22 to the rear portion of the lay. The shanks of the lag screws 12 are received in forwardly and rearwardly extending slots 28 which permit forward and rearward adjustment 5 and permit the flat, straight wall II of the guide member 2! to be adjusted in engagement with the picker stick I. Thus, the position of the picker stick 5, during forward movement of the lay, can be controlled positively.

The flight of the shuttle from one side of the loom to the other is controlled by the picker stick and movement of the picker stick must be in line with the center line of the shuttle. When the shuttle is received in the shuttle box. the shuttle spur 2| of the incoming shuttle engages the cup shaped hole ii in the picker stick and moves the picker stick to its extreme outermost position. Since the rearward position of the picker stick I is controlled by the guide member ii, the hole receive the shuttle and to maintain the center line of the shuttle in coincidence with the path of movement of the shuttle and with the path of movement of the picker. Forward point of 5 inflection of the front wall of the shuttle 4 engages the front box plate ll along substantially the entire length. And the shuttle is held in this position by the action of the pivoted binder II and the front box plate II. when the shuttle is picked out of the box during rearward movement the same plane. As the shuttle 4 moves out of the box, the action of the binder II on the shuttle II is reduced, but during the latter portion of the picking movement of the picker stick 5, the lay is moving rearwardly and, because of inertia, the

picker stick is held against the guide member shuttle box is in a straight line parallel to the face of the back box plate, the shuttle will continue in its free flight toward the other shuttle box in a straight line and will not tend to lope in a sinuous path toward and away from the fell of the cloth.

In order to properly adjust the guide member 2 I, the shuttle I is inserted in the shuttle box with its tip 2|! in engagement with the hole II in the picker II. The guide member 2| is moved forin Fig. 1, the guide member ii is suflicientl long so that the picker stick 5 is in engagement therewith throughout the entire extent of its picking movement. It is clear that the guide member 2i may be located in adJusted position regardless projected at an angle thereto and toward the fell the width of the shuttle box and ressrdleas of ward surface 24 of the guide member 2|, and

the guide member 2|, therefore, will be maintained in this position during the boxing of the shuttle. Rearward movement of the lay, after the shuttle has been boxed, will have no eifect on the picker stick 5, since it will be held rigidly in position by engagement of the picker It with the tip 20 of the shuttle 4.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a loom, a forwardly and rearwardly reciprocating lay having substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces, a shuttle box mounted on the top surface of said lay including a front box plate and a back box plate, said box plates including shuttle engaging surfaces normal to said lay surfaces, an elongated slot in said lay through which the picker stick is adapted to move, and an elongated angle member mounted on the bottom surface of said lay, said angle member having one web positioned against said bottom lay surface and the other web presenting a surface for engagement by the picker stick normal to said lay surfaces, and means for laterally adjusting the position of said angle member relative to said slot whereby the picker stick may be aligned with the center line of the shuttle entering said box.

2. In a loom, a forwardly and rearwardly re, ciprocating lay having substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces, a shuttle box mounted on the top surface of said lay and including a front box plate and a back box plate, an elongated slot in said lay between said box plates, said box plates each presenting a surface to the loom shuttle normal to said lay surfaces, unitary guide member positioned on the bottom surface of said lay and extending along said slot, said guide member presenting a surface normal to said lay surfaces and parallel to the shuttle engaging surfaces of said box plates, a picker stick movable in said slot including a picker having a recess for receiving the tip of said shuttle as it enters the shuttle box, and means for laterally positioning said guide member relative to said slot to position said picker stick transversely of said slot inline with the line of movement of the shuttle entering the shuttl box and to guide said stick in its movement when picking the shuttle out of the shuttle box.

EVERETT H. ASHTON.

REFERENCES crr n The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,046,292 Jackson June 30, 1938 2,106,559 Tuten Jan. 25, 1938 2,259,413 Yelm Oct. 14, 1941 2,261,869 Bell Nov. 4, 1941 

